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Friday, January 8, 1999
2:05pm PST - In the immortal words of Richard M. Nixon. Let's make one thing perfectly clear: Our little diatribe regarding Laserviews and Image Entertainment in last nights' news should not be construed as a slam or condemnation of either entity in any way whatsoever -- and we hope our comments were not interpreted that way. We offered our views in the spirit of constructive criticism in our own, typically sardonic way. Call it tough-love, if you must. We appreciate what Image is doing for DVD, respect the work that goes into Image Laserviews News and genuinely admire Garrett Lee's pragmatic hands-on style of communicating with DVD fans directly on the Internet. We wish ALL studios did the same. Go Image!

12:26pm PST - In a story sure to bring a tear to the eye and a lump in the throat for every Circuit City employee, at the CES, Techweb reports: DVD Panel Begrudgingly Accepts Divx. This isn't to suggest, however, that Warren Lieberfarb is ready to rollover as this San Jose Mercury News article suggests...

12:12pm PST - Thrice from TWICE: Pioneer demonstrated a DVD-RW recorder at CES that the manufacture claims can be ready for market within six months after copy protection details are hashed out, hopefully by the end of this year. Discs on the new recorder would be incompatible with current generation DVD (and hence Divx) players, but future generation machines could easily read the discs, which, when brought to market, will allow up to two hours of recording time. Pioneer is also releasing a competing product to Panasonics' DVD "Palm Theater" that sound identical in specs and unfortunately, price, at $1,300..

12:06pm PST -- Richard Sharp fires back: Also from TWICE, the Circuit City Chairman keeps his cool and claims that Divx purchasers came back "3.5 times in a four to six week period to buy more Divx discs" after the initial sale. Funny. The numbers just don't seem to add up that way for us...

11:58am PST - From TWICE News: Industry leaders predict soaring sales for DVD and Divx in '99. The BIG Picture predicts souring sales for Divx in '99.Lieberfarb and Sharp square off in this very enlightening article.Richard Sharp comments that Circuit City stores struggled to keep an inventory of DVD player. The same struggle, apparently, that has mysteriously plagued the retail giant since the Divx test marketing began last summer. We bet that there were no shortages of the Divx-hobbled players in stock.

8:40am PST - Could we interest you in a scone to go with your latte? One of the things I've always admired about our friend and co-reviewer Bob Banka is his broad range of interests when it comes to film. Bob is nothing, if not diverse in his tastes. That translates into: There's something for everyone in The BIG Picture Review archive. Check one of Bob's more esoteric review subjects. OCTOBER -- a 1927 silent Soviet film marking the tenth anniversary of the Russian Revolution.

8:28am PST - After weeks of searching, we just couldn't find one we liked better... Our "Upcoming Titles" selection in the first section of our menu strip links directly to Image-Entertainment/Laserviews. Click it and see what's new!

7:45am PST - We appreciate that Peter Kline wrote to tell us: "any press release containing information about earnings, future earnings or projections of earnings, that disclaimer is always used by the issuing company. It is an SEC requirement. If you check other similar releases you'll find the same wording. One thing about the Divx announcement: They mentioned no additional retail outlets or anything about additional financing." Thank you and Sterling Sodetani (who also wrote in) for the correction and education.

2:04am PST - Television station issues a consumer alert warning about the possible health hazards of Divx.

1:45am PST - USA Today says: "Lower Prices Boost DVD"

1:19am PST - It's no secret that Thomson Electronics (RCA. Proscan) has been in bed for some time with Divx, but now there's talk that they may start squeaking the mattress to the point of warranting a towel and a cigarette.

1:10am PST - A disclaimer only a (lawyers) mother could love... The latest disclaimer on the Divx press releases states the following:

"This release contains forward-looking statements, which are subject to
risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, risks associated with
the development of new business concepts and risks associated with year 2000
issues. Additional discussion of factors that could cause actual results to
differ materially from management’s projections, forecasts, estimates and
expectations is contained in the SEC filings of Circuit City Stores, Inc"

Enough said.

1:07am PST - Brother, can you spare a dime? The Hollywood Reporter (UNlike us) charges you to get the WHOLE story, but check out this cool teaser over the upcoming RONIN disc.

12:36am PST -- But if it wasn't for Irving... Wondering when you'll hear the famous Eagles reunion concert in glorious Dolby Digital 5.1? "When Hell Freezes Over", according to our sources. Here's the story: Warner Brothers was set to release The Eagles: Hell Freezes Over concert in 1998, but they ran into a brick wall when Irving Azoff (the record exec in control of distribution rights) refused to allow Warner to include a DD 5.1 mix. Seems that Azoff might have a vested interest in DTS and "will never allow this disc to be released in Dolby Digital 5.1". As a result, Warner passed on the project, which is how Image Entertainment ended up with the rights and why they are producing a disc with DTS 5.1 and PCM stereo tracks, which purportedly sound great despite the two channel limitation.

When Image Entertainment took over Laserviews, shutting down their unprofitable online sales division, they also relocated Gardner from New Jersey to sunny Southern California, which as many of us recall, resulted in the first Laserviews information drought. The recent period of inactivity was due, according to Lee, to Gardner being given time off over the holidays to visit his family back on the East Coast. A nice gesture to be sure - but it makes us wonder why Image would need to transplant the fellow to California at all, given the nature of web publishing and the Internet, which can be worked from Timbuktu, let alone Chatsworth. The point that Lee wanted to make was that Image Entertainment is working hard to please the DVD community. After all, we don't see any other content provider announcing everyone elses product, now do we? Good point, but I suggested to Lee that Laserviews/Image Entertainment DVD News have become victims of their own success. So many of us have come to depend on the site, that we feel let down when we're left hanging. Keeping a website current with the word "news" in the header is imperative. Now that we know Laserviews is managed by a single guy (an incredible feat when you consider the wealth of information the site contains), it's easier to understand the recent slowdown. I've asked that in the future, if there are any more week or ten day periods of inactivity, that as a gesture of courtesy, they simply post when the site will be updated next or let someone like us know about it, so we can pass the news on to you. There's nothing more frustrating than to visit a great site day after day and finding that the lights are on but nobody's home.

Garrett Lee also understands that there is a certain residual resentment from earlier lukewarm comments he made toward DVD when the format was first introduced. I made it a point to remind him that this is probably the main source of fuel for critics that seem to target Image from time to time. He's also aware of the criticism that's been leveled at Laserviews, particularly since Image Entertainment took over the helm. But underneath the cocky exterior, we discovered a man who is eager to be "one of the guys" -- and from our perspective, that's a good thing. One of the elements about reporting DVD that makes it so difficult is that nobody ever wants to say anything.

Personal feelings you may or may not have about Lee aside, let's face it, Image is pumping out titles right and left. Perhaps the greatest contribution that Image has made thus far are the rare and historical titles that we're not seeing anywhere else in any kind of numbers. CHAPLIN MUTUALS, THE LOST FILMS OF LAUREL AND HARDY, THE TWILIGHT ZONE series are just a few of the absolute gems being buffed and peddled by Image. Sure, not all of their titles are masterpieces, but the wide variety is helping to spur interest in DVD -- and that's a great thing.

Some might be off-put by Lee's brash, confident, hands-on, in-your-face approach, but we like the fact that at least one DVD content provider is willing to come down from the ivory tower and rub elbows with its consumers directly. For example, as much respect and admiration we have for Warren Lieberfarb, we're puzzled why the Warner honcho doesn't loosen his tie, roll up his sleeves and participate in an online chat with his adoring masses. Why the reluctance? Why can't Michael Eisner have the courage to go online and explain to us why Disney isn't ready to produce their animated titles on DVD? Why do we have to see his comments as a footnote to his letter to stockholders? In this case, Lee's bravado works in his favor and despite his decidedly politically incorrect comments from time to time, we do appreciate what Image is doing for DVD and the way they have recognized the community that is the Internet and the way this medium draws people of common interests and pulls them together, allowing the instantaneous sharing of thoughts and ideas with thousands.

That being said, let's all give the Wizard behind Laserviews, Steve Gardner a break. While we never really gave it much thought, we always assumed Laserviews was being put together by a team several people. But really guys, you should have known better than to leave the site in limbo like that. That's not to say we're not grateful that Image is continuing the site -- it's simply an admonishment that a company so Internet savvy should have known to include the line:

"In the interests of providing our staff with the opportunity to spend the holiday with their loves ones, Laserviews will be on hiatus until after the first of the year. We thank you for your patience and look forward to seeing you again on January 5th. Best wishes for a safe and warm holiday season -- and happy new year! -- and be sure to watch The BIG Picture for the latest news and information in the meantime!" (The last line is our personal favorite, of course...)

There now. Would that have been so tough? By the way, look for Laserviews to become even closer with Image Entertainment in the next few days. We can't blame Lee for wanting everyone to know that Image is the one running with the ball now for our collective benefit -- but please Garrett, no more fumbles. Let someone know the next time someone needs to take a week off. Communication is the key...

12:54pm PST - According to reports from On Call the DVD Video Group has announced today at CES that over 1.4 Million players have shipped with an installed base of over one million DVD players now in consumers hands. Thanks to Special Field Correspondent Dana for tracking down this (and other stories) today.

10:40am PST - Looks like our Warner Appreciation Week worked... Warner Home Video has some good news of their own to report today: 1998 DVD sales rocketed 240% above 1997 numbers with earnings of $170 Million.

10:21am PST - We almost forgot to tell you amidst all the other exciting news lately, that fueled in part by our "12 DVDs of Christmas" promotion, The BIG Picture received a total 1,476,029 visits during the month of December alone, setting another new monthly record -- and we thank you! Since August, 1998, TBP has continuously topped a million visits per month, with each successive month bringing higher numbers and more unique visitors. We expect this site to continue to grow commensurate with the increasing number of DVD owners and Internet consumers.

10:11am PST - Entertainment Wire reports that NetFlix takes on another fusion-marketing partner with today's announcement of their alliance with All Movie Guide.

9:42am, PST - Cooking the books -- or simply selective reporting? A couple of astute readers have questioned whether the Divx discs claimed as "sold" during December (375,000) includes the five (5) "free" discs (actually sold and rebated sans sales tax) with each of the purported 60,000 Divx players purchased in the same month? 60,000 X 5= 300,000. It would seem to us that Circuit City would use any means necessary to provide the highest sales numbers, right? If that turns out to be the case, then only 1.25 additional titles per Divx player purchase can be counted as a legitimate post-purchase software sale. Anyone from Divx or Circuit City care to comment?

9:41am PST - One stop shopping... Want the latest Consumer Electronics Show news without having to scatter thither and yon to find it? Try the official CES website (also found in our new links index under Associations, Groups & Organizations... But be advised. There's lots of heavy traffic on the site and the server may not let you in on the first try.

8:03am PST -- Theater of the mind... Divx has announced the nice, even figure of 90,000 Divx players sold to consumers since the national launch of the competing format to open DVD. They've also announced an HDTV Divx player, which they claim will be available to consumers next year, however the benefits of this device remain ambiguous. So far, it only serves to create more confusion in the marketplace, which could be its main feature. What we'd like to know is this... how many employees does Circuit City, Future Shop, DOW, Ultimate Electronics, Good Guys, Fox, Disney, Universal and Paramount have? And of that number, how many purchased Divx players or received them as bonus incentives? Subtracting that figure from the total number of units sold, how many have been returned by non-employee customers?

12:30am PST - Bill Kelly, who wrote a somewhat favorable article on Divx last year (which was linked here and drew several sharp responses from our readers) has evolved his view of the pay-per-view format. We think you'll enjoy reading his new article this month, appearing in Videophile.

11:24am PST - Quote from Disney Chairman Michael Eisner to his stockholders: "Another development that may or may not have an impact on our animation business is the digital video disk. I say ``may not'' because, over time, it may simply replace videotape. Therefore, I will restrain my enthusiasm for the potential of this new format, which of course is difficult for me. In 1998, we began releasing our films onto DVD. We are hopeful that, in the coming decade, this technology will grow to the point where we can profitably release more of our animated library titles in this format." Restrain his enthusiasm? In the coming decade?? Say whaaat? Here's the rest of Eisner's long, ponderous, wind-bag letter to Disney stockholders that begins with references to changing seasons, eucalyptus trees and other flowery prose. The fact that DVD is but a footnote in this epic monologue is the real indication of Disney's apparent disinterest in aggressively promoting the format. Oh yes, we almost forgot. Disneyland raised the price of admission to the Anahaim, California theme park by a buck per head today. Probably to help subsidize the cost of all the eucalyptus trees that had to be cut down and reduced to pulp for the printing of Eisner's self-aggrandizing speech.

10:04am PST - Special thanks to Robert Briggs for passing on this link from the Los Angleles Times to this excellent article, by Thomas K. Arnold: "Fast Acceptance of DVD May Position it to Succeed VHS". There's no "may" about it, Tom. It's already begun.

9:20am PST - It's understandable to see why Laserviews went so long without an update. Image probably needed all available staff to count the piles of money that are stacking up from their DVD sales. But seriously, folks, the Laserviews DVD news page has been updated at last. Was it worth the wait? Well, it is if you like B-movies and street date delays. Avocado Women in the Jungle of Death has been pushed back to January 12th. Darn!

9:13am PST - Is Garrett Lee smiling today? Image Entertainment anticipates approximately 190% increase over comparable fiscal 1998 Q3 sales and is up 120% over the Second Quarter ended September 30, 1998. DVD Sales to Internet Retailers in Excess of $3 Million for the Third Quarter Ended December 31, 1998. Onward and upward, gang.

9:09am PST - DVD Express has become the first online retailer to sell more than one million DVDs -- predicting even greater sales success in Q2.

8:55am PST - DVD... the giant maker: Special thanks to David Jahnke for alerting us to this bit of good news for major DVD supporter Best Buy. Over the holidays, DVD brought in $1.2 million in sales -- in one day,."marking the first time the retailer saw DVD movie sales higher than VHS movies...the strong sales in DVD products shows "it is the preferred format for future movie viewing."

8:47am PST - While running our spell-checker this morning, the closest match the computer found for the word "webmaster" was "weasel". How appropriate. As it just so happens, the webmaster of THIS site was once the reigning Lord of all the weasels while on the air in San Francisco during the 80's. The proof is exibited below for your examination. Oh yes, please consider yourself an official member of the "99.7 KYUU Stinking Weasel" club. For more on this former, legendary San Francisco FM radio station, click here and visit another of our websites.

8:15am PST - Cutting to the chase... Are you a newcomer to DVD? Confused by all the rhetoric you see regarding anamorphic (enhanced for 16x9) transfers? Why all the fuss? Simple. We'd like DVD content providers to strive for reaching the upper limits of the available technology rather than targeting the lowest common denominator. That way, if DVD collectors who don't already have large screen setups decide to upgrade in the future, their DVD collection can grow with them and continue to offer an outstanding home theater experience, regardless of the screen size. Several studios have demonstrated their commitment to DVD by getting it right the first time -- by not only marketing high-quality entertainment to trusting consumers now -- but also well into the future. It's one thing to have to replace your VHS collection with Laserdiscs -- or even your Laserdisc collection with DVDs. It's quite another matter to have to replace DVD titles with the same DVD titles when the future demands the higher quality of an anamorphic transfer that could be produced today. Here's a real world experiment you can try. Rent and compare STAR TREK: GENERATIONS with STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT. Both films are by Paramount. Both doubtably feature similar production values. The former is non-enhanced letterbox and the latter is anamorphic. The image quality differences between the two are VERY significant - the larger your TV, monitor or projected size, the more glaring those differences are. TBP thinks it's almost criminal how Paramount came out with such excellent examples of image quality right out of the gate, only to go "cheap" on us and back-peddle from the 16x9 enhanced feature on nearly every title since their first batch was released. We spoke with a studio rep that could never explain why that decision was made, and shortly thereafter avoided all our phone calls. As William "Smokey" Robinson so eloquently stated: "a taste of honey's worse than none at all." Come on, Paramount. Give us back the sugar and keep the Sweet 'n Low. Fox and Disney, are you paying attention to any of this?

10:55pm PST - Should we be flattered? It was bound to happen sooner or later. Superman had to deal with Bizarro Superman... Seinfeld had to deal with ....Newman. Now, unearthed from a link request (of all things!) we have discovered another DVD site that has openly plagiarized The BIG Picture. The Little Ole' DVD Review site webmaster even had the unmitigated gall to lift the text off our home page nearly verbatim. They've also borrowed our five-globe rating system -- and along with it, the original globe graphics we created for TBP, which are covered under our conspicuous COPYRIGHT NOTICE. Is there a good lawyer in the house?

10:25pm PST - Boasting a 50% increase over November rentals in December, NetFlix benefits from DVD player sales. The most rented title for 1998? Surprisingly, SIX DAYS AND SEVEN NIGHTS. Here's the top ten DVD rentals for 1998, according to NetFlix:

1. "Six Days, Seven Nights" 
2. "The Mask of Zorro" 
3. "Godzilla"
4. "Lost In Space" 
5. "The Horse Whisperer" 
6. "Lethal Weapon 4"
7. "Mercury Rising" 
8. "City Of Angels: Special Edition" 
9. "Wild Things"
10. "Deep Impact"

Want to see what the official teaser graphics for the next Star Wars and the next Bond film? These images come courtesy of Dr. Klaus A. Warme.

1:18pm PST - TBP Congratulates VIP member Brian Chand of Los Angeles for finding our special contest banner and winning a free copy of BLADE:SE Way to go and thanks to all who participated. More giveaways coming soon from your friends at The BIG Picture!

10:44am PST - Polls be damned... On-line retailer DVD Wave is picking up where NetFlix left off by offering seven-day rental and DVD purchase options.

10:35am PST - According to Techweb, this year's CES can be characterized as "esoteric". According to this article, "On Thursday, Digital Video Express, developer of the oft-maligned Divx format, will release its much-anticipated sales figures for 1998. Digital Video Express and its parent company, retailer Circuit City, will announce unit sales of both DVD and Divx, to combat rumors that Circuit City was under-stocking DVD players to boost Divx sales." Our question is this: Assuming that Circuit City was, in fact, (according to its own employees) short-stocking open DVD players, how can any sales figures they produce be considered valid for comparative purposes? The consumer cannot purchase merchandise that simply isn't available. And remember, short-stocking doesn't mean no-stocking, which makes the numbers even more deceptive.

10:29am PST - Enjoy The Force while you can... This from showbizdata.com: "There will be six episodes of Star Wars and no more, George Lucas has told Vanity Fair magazine. Back in the '70s, Lucas had originally said that he planned nine films, but, he now asserts in the magazine's February issue, "That's not really part of the plan at this point... When you see it in six parts, you'll understand. It really ends at part six." Besides, he observed, after the next three Star Wars movies are completed, "I'll be to a point in my age where to do another trilogy would take 10 years." Would he consider placing the project in the hands of another producer at that point? "Probably not," he told Vanity Fair. "It's my thing."

10:19am PST - So... Just how well did Amazon.com do this past holiday season? "Customers purchased enough videos, DVDs, CDs, and books to fill a shelf 101 miles long". Wow. Just do us a favor and be sure to use our links to Amazon if you're inclined to shop or browse over there. Clicking any of our sponsor banners helps to support The BIG Picture -- so we thank you!

9:57am PST - It will probably help to let you know that we'll be sending out contest instructions for our BLADE giveaway at 11:00am, Pacific Coast Time. If you miss today's giveaway, be sure to register for our next one by using the "subscribe" link on our site menu strip to the left. By the way, there are no tricks, no gimmicks or subterfuge involved in our VIP member listing. It's simply away for us to reward those who make The BIG Picture a daily "must-read". Your e-mail shall remain private and will never be sold or given out to any third parties.

7:58am PST - Membership has its privileges... Have you registered for our private membership/mailing list yet? Now might be a good time. This afternoon, we'll be placing another random contest banner somewhere within our site. Needle in a haystack? Not for TBP VIP members! We'll be e-mailing them the exact page and general time that the special contest banner will appear this afternoon! The first one to find it will win a FREE copy of the BLADE: Special Edition DVD. Register now. If you've already registered previously, be sure to look for our special e-mail notice sometime today!

7:33am PST From the trenches... Our confirmed Circuit City employee who helped reveal the company's practice of short stocking open DVD players last June wrote us this morning to address our question on Divx returns. Here is what he had to say: "I was talking to one of my co-workers... the topic of divx came up. He has sold a few players (mostly ProScan models), and complained about the large number of returns. His first revelation was that there has to be something seriously wrong w/the Proscan players - this brand makes up an overly large percentage of divx returns - "those players are crap" was his assessment. And another associate of ours who handles returns told him that divx returns are averaging between 4-6 players per day. Playing the role of devil's advocate, I'll assume that returns can't be running quite that high, as that would pretty much negate every divx sale from our store..." In the past, this individual has provided us with solid, reliable (and ultimately accurate) information. Draw your own conclusions.

1:47am PST - The BIG Picture reviews ARMAGEDDON. Check Bob Banka's in-depth report.

1:22am PST - We're continuing to fine tune this site for the new year. Hope you like the changes. Although we're still porting over links from our original links page and doing some artistic tweaking, our new links page is ready for you. New features include: A quick reference to find out which links are new (what's new), a listing of our personal favorites (what's cool) and a description of every link provided. Not only that, but requesting new links is easier than ever, too.

1:02am PST - That's what they get for procrastinating... Here in San Diego, we receive a monthly publication called "Decor and Style". My wife pointed out a DVD article in this months' issue called "Not All New Things are Good" or something to that effect. It turns out to be another anti-Divx piece (the author called it Dvix). Here's the funny part. The writer clearly didn't do his homework, repeatedly demonizing Blockbuster for being behind the Divx model. We e-mailed a letter to the editor point out the serious gaffe and offered to proofread their future DVD-related articles to help ensure accuracy.

1:00am PST - Here's another recap aka rehash of recent Divx news. Nothing that you don't already know!

10:25am PST - If you sell video hardware or software and plan to attend the Winter CES in Las Vegas, we encourage you to read the DVD Resource's "Open letter to potential Divx retailers."

8:10am PST - Why not start your day with another new review from The BIG Picture? Your friend and mine, Jeff McNeal takes a discerning look at THE CAINE MUTINY. Sure, those Columbia Tristar titles look great -- but has the studio attempted to transfer any real vintage material prior to this this? Not that we can recall. Before you plan your own mutiny, better batten down the hatches and read the review. Also, if you've been out of touch for a few days, be sure to click on "recent reviews" on the site menu strip. We've added several new reviews over the weekend.

8:00am PST -- Circuit City is still pushing - but can Divx survive? Read this interesting article on TechWeb. Our favorite quote: "Several associates said sales stop dead when customers were told the Divx player had to be connected via a telephone line to Digital Video Express, the Circuit subsidiary handling Divx, where monthly usage is noted and downloaded for billing purposes." The article quotes some positive banter from one analyst who tracked Divx sales at about 30 Circuit City stores posing as a customer. According to him, Divx sales were accelerating past open DVD sales. But he admitted that "associates may have inflated Divx's sales because they thought they were talking to a customer instead of an analyst." And we've seen time and time again how misleading associates can be - a temptation increased by the high commissions Circuit City is offering its' employees, not to mention the pressure being brought upon them to perform. We also bet the the analyst was unaware of Circuit City's notorious short-stocking of open DVD players in order to push anxious shoppers into buying a Divx model. Expect the retailer to push hard for more distributors at this weeks' Consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas.

According to a vote at Sterophile Guide to Home Theater, DVD will be the dominant video format in three years or less. Check the results.

Ready for another review? Bob takes an in-depth look at ALTERED STATES.

Could there be a break in the format wars that are hindering the advent of recordable DVD in our home theaters and computers. It would appear so in this EE Times article.

Looking for information on how to shop for an LCD projector for your home theater? Check out the latest article in Audio Video Interiors...

We're in the process of totally redesigning our BIG Links page. It's still under construction, but here's a sneak preview... While we're in the process of checking links to make sure they're still valid, we ran across something that caught our attention. Check out DVD Case Covers for a solution to all those cardboard snapper cases that you wish you could trade in for keepcases. The product is a clear plastic sleeve that slips over the snapper, providing protection and perhaps a smoother fit on the shelf when discs are stacked next to each other. As you're probably aware, it's tough to slip a snapper in or out of your collection without the raised plastic framing snagging on the snapper case next to it.

Did you know... That Wal-Mart has been selling Armageddon on DVD since December 24th?

So... you've been eyeing that copy of MISTER ROBERTS on the shelf and have been wondering how good of a transfer it could be, ay, matey? Well, wonder no more. Here's Bob's review of MISTER ROBERTS.

In a funny post script to the story below, Prentis Cotham wrote to say: "I contacted the winning bidder on ebay asking him why he would buy them. He said he owns 2 DVD players and not a divx player and he thanked me for my "concern over how he spends 11.50." Perhaps he needs some coasters or ice scrapers." Indeed.

Caveat de Emptor (or something like that)... On New Years Day, we told you about the cad who was auctioning USED Divx discs at eBay auction (see last weeks' archive). Well, some poor schlepp bought them, for about $11.50 plus shipping for eight titles. Since the buyer will ALSO incur the $3.50 rental fee (unless his Divx charges him the full $4.50 rate), the hapless sap is actually paying more for these used Divx discs than if he simply purchased them new. But then again, considering that so few retailers stock the things, perhaps he was willing to trade one inconvenience for another... ah... more expensive one. It should be noted that in a rare action, two of the bids on the collection of coasters were withdrawn by potential victims that were able to put two and two together. Remember folks - there is no used market for Divx disc. Circuit City and the Hollywood lawyers have seen to that.